In a matter of seconds
by elirian
Summary: AU – Falling in love can happen any place and anywhere, no matter how little you know the person. I must have been the only person in the world, who didn't know who he was. SetoYami COMPLETE


In a matter of seconds

Author: elirian

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Seto/Yami

Spoilers: None

Warning: None

Disclaimer: I do not own Ygo, sadly enough.

Summary: AU – Falling in love can happen any place and anywhere, no matter how little you know the person. "I must have been the only person in the world, who didn't know who he was."

Status: Complete

"Love isn't a decision. It's a feeling. If we could decide who we loved, it would be much simpler, but much less magical."

---- Trey Parker and Matt Stone

How long does it take to fall in love?

Precisely 6.2 seconds...or so they say.

He hadn't really cared before. Falling in love had never been something of importance to him, much to everyone's disappointment. He wasn't ready for the emotional burdens and heartache that came with the bothersome feeling. Too many of his friends had come to him, crying because their relationships were over, and doing the same thing, like bawling his eyes out because of a failed relationship, had never appealed to Yami. If he never fell in love, then that would be just fine.

But like so many other things in one's life, love was not something that could be controlled.

_SYSY_

The old abandoned park was always nice to come to. It was quiet, peaceful and whenever Yami needed to think or to be alone, he would come here. The whispers of old oak trees when the cool winter's wind blew through and around them, was always relaxing. Sometimes, most of the time, it would feel as if those old oak trees were telling him their secrets, old tales of forgotten heroes and villains that were for his ears only.

It was a place where Yami could escape to whenever the pressures of life became too much, when his job became more of a chore than a  
delight. It was a place he cherished beyond all others, even in its rundown and abandoned state. Maybe that was why he loved it so much, because it wasn't perfect and it was the only place that didn't demand any false pretenses of perfection from him. It was the only place where he could really be Yami Mutou and not feel like people were damning him because of it.

It was his park. A place Yami had claimed for himself when no one else wanted it anymore.

So when someone invaded his territory, his haven, Yami had half a mind to chase the person away. But all thoughts of the rediculous notion disappeared completely from his mind when he looked up at the stranger.

A very beautiful stranger.

_SYSY_

Eyes as cold as the snow falling around them looked at him wearily, as if expecting Yami to say and do something. What, Yami wasn't quite sure. The stranger stood there for a moment before sitting beside him on the rather cold bench. Yami watched, enthralled as the stranger examined his surroundings. Blue eyes became sad when he took in the broken state of the park, a sigh escaping parted lips.

"I can't believe they just abandoned this place."

His voice was wonderful, so deep and sorrowful that it made his skin tingle. Some morbid part of him had always been attracted to sorrow filled things, like the park, and this man seemed positively heartbroken and so very alone. He was a very handsome man, his brown hair hanging messily around his head, pale skin a rival to the beautiful snow falling from the heavens, gorgeous hands rested on his lap with long, slim fingers flexing every now and again. But despite his physical good looks, it wasn't that which made Yami stare. It was those eyes that gave him a sample of the beautiful, perhaps unappreciated soul beneath all the layers of expensive clothes.

Like his grandmother had always said; the eyes were the window to the soul.

"I used to...come here, when I was younger."

Yami smiled. He was certain this stranger didn't even really notice his presence, speaking to himself rather than to Yami.

"It's a beautiful place." Yami said, smiling a little wider when the man looked at Yami in surprise, perhaps really noticing Yami for the first time. Barriers immediately came up, shutting Yami out and hiding the tormented soul from him. But Yami was determined to get the man to lower his guard again, wanting nothing more than to see just a glimpse of the real man before him. This man was so utterly captivating that it was frightening to Yami, he wasn't someone to go around begging strangers to open up to him, but this man was so...different.

Yami looked away from the man, still smiling. He held his arm out before him and watched as cold snowflakes fell upon his gloved palm, loving the cold on his skin.

"There are many places in Domino that are nicer, more beautiful, but I personally think you can relax here because of this place's imperfections." Yami looked at the man beside him, grinning at his curious gaze.

"It doesn't need you to be perfect; it only needs you to be who you are." He whispered, blue eyes narrowing in thought.

Yami nodded. "Exactly." He was happy to see those defenses lowering a little.

"I'm Yami Mutou by the way."

_SYSY_

He had never thought there would finally come a day where he would snap and run, run from everything. He knew the media were probably having a field day with his 'disappearance', he had switched off his cell phone when he had decided to escape, but he had a feeling Mokuba was calling him nonstop. It was a good thing, he supposed, that Mokuba could not remember this place and that no one else knew the real Seto Kaiba well enough to know he would escape to a place where he could clearly remember being a child. Surprisingly, the thought of no one really knowing him, made him sad.

Just like seeing this place in its rundown state had saddened him.

Yami's words had somehow comforted him however. Yami, someone he didn't even know and yet someone who had made this place's destruction, abandonment, not be that painful. So many memories were tied up in this place, memories of a time where he had still laughed, memories of a woman he had never really appreciated until she had been taken from him and Mokuba, in turn leaving them with their bastard stepfather. The park had been the only place his mother had smiled, where she could watch her children and not worry about the fact that she was trapped in a loveless marriage. He and Mokuba had been her only happiness, but not even they had been enough to keep her from the death she had so craved.

"So?" Yami was looking at him expectantly and Seto knew Yami must have asked him something.

"What?"

Yami laughed, a light and comforting sound. Seto watched the smaller man with his head thrown back, some of his tri-colored hair swaying with the wind, golden locks brushing gently against flushed cheeks like a soft lover's caress. The man relaxed him, soothing the tension from him with a mere smile.

"Your name. I asked what your name was. Or do you want to hide behind a little mystery?"

Seto scowled. "I don't hide."

"Then tell me your name."

"Seto Kaiba."

He half expected Yami's eyes to widen in recognition and words of praise to tumble from those lips like so many other people when he told them who he was, but none of that came. Instead Yami looked pleased, his smile growing and his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You have a very nice name."

"Thank you."

Suddenly Seto smiled when realization hit. Yami didn't know who he was. He didn't see the cold celebrity everyone else saw, but the man. Just Seto Kaiba, nothing more and nothing less.

"So you came here when you were younger?"

"And how would you know that?"

Yami rolled his eyes playfully "You're sad because this place was abandoned; I doubt you go around and feel sad for every place or building that is abandoned or destroyed."

"No, I don't." Seto looked around again, feeling slightly bitter at the state of this place. "And if you must know, yes I came here a lot before I moved to America with my brother and stepfather."

"And you're in Japan because...?"

Normally Seto would tell him to mind his own business, but talkig to someone other than Mokuba felt nice. It was hard having a conversation with someone who usually wanted to skip the talking part and jump headfirst into his bed, so he had just decided to give up trying in the end, instead keeping everything to himself and allowing people to make assumptions about him.

"Business."

"Ah," Yami nodded, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "So let me guess, you came here hoping to find the last place where you can remember being happy, but instead found a rundown park that meant so little to people that they decided to abandon it for someplace better."

"And let me guess, you're a shrink?"

Yami smiled, shaking his head. "No."

"You could pass off as one." Seto grumbled.

"So am I right?"

"My mother always brought us here. It was a place where we could just be ourselves and nothing else mattered."

"Well I'm cold and in desperate need of coffee, care to join me?"

Seto watched as Yami rose to his feet, an inviting smile forming on his beautiful face. "I'm not a shrink, but I'll listen if you want to talk."

"You don't even know me."

Yami shrugged, pulling his coat tighter around his body to ward off the cold wind. "I don't need to know you Seto Kaiba, to be able to listen to you. And I have a feeling you need to talk to someone."

Hadn't Mokuba always said that he needed to open up to someone? Well here was someone who would be willing to listen to him, who for some reason cared, and maybe it was time he let someone see who he really was.

_SYSY_

Yami watched as Seto's amazing blue eyes scanned over the city, looking excited as the many lights twinkled back at him. Seto was undoubtedly cold, but had blown off all suggestions of going back inside, instead focusing all his attention on the beautiful sight that was Domino city at night. And it really was an amazing view, one of the main reasons Yami had decided to buy the apartment. Despite the city's sheer beauty, he found his gaze drawn to Seto instead.

They had spent hours talking, about everything and nothing. Loving the companionship and having someone who understood. He had never realized how terribly lonely he had been all these years. It was a bitter irony that tomorrow he would have to let go of the person who had managed to chase his loneliness away, but life was cruel most of the time and there was no such thing as a happy ending.

They had joked about abandoning everything and running away together like in those silly little romance novels, but even though he had been laughing at their silliness, his heart had ached at knowing it could and would never really happen. Judging by the look in Seto's eyes, he had felt the same.

It was rediculous feeling so close to someone in such a short time, but Yami knew how he felt, no matter how rediculous and 'fast' it was.

Seto's cool hand gripped at his own, as if reassuring himself that Yami really was there and not something his mind had simply made up.

"Yami."

Yami looked up, a little startled when Seto pulled him closer. His breath caught in his throat as Seto leaned in; their lips touched and Yami felt a rush pass through him. Kissing had never been something that he particularly enjoyed; it was something that just did not appeal to him. The fact that he hardly ever wanted to kiss was something which had annoyed all of his previous lovers and, even as terrible as it sounded, one of the main reasons of his many break-ups. But somehow the mere thought of kissing this man sent unimaginable jolts of excitement coursing through him. So when Seto slowly and hesitantly started to deepen the kiss, Yami found himself willingly open his mouth, all his previous thoughts of disliking anything that resembled a kiss, blown away from his mind.

The kiss was both passionate and gentle, something between two lonely men who could find companionship and if fate had been kinder, love in one another.

To Yami's utter disappointment, the kiss did not last long and Seto pulled away from him, a breathless laugh escaping his swollen lips.

"Dance with me."

Yami blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Dance with me." Seto repeated, a childish excitement shining through in his irresistible eyes.

Yami laughed, throwing his arms around Seto's neck and leaning up so that his lips were inches away from Seto's.

"Yes." He breathed, closing his eyes in delight as Seto's arms wrapped around him and squeezed gently but firmly at the same time.

_SYSY_

The dance, like the first kiss, had not lasted long. Instead their lips had met again in another kiss, the passion outweighing the gentleness. Their legs moved on their own accord, back to Yami's bedroom that had led to the balcony with the majestic view. Hands tugged impatiently at clothes, tongues dueled and small, barely audible moans and pleas echoed through the room.

They fell on the bed, half-naked and panting, desire shown in crimson eyes as clearly as it did in sapphire. Seto slowed down a moment, looking down at the being who had somehow, without even trying, gotten past all his defenses and who had really listened to _him_. Seto reached up with his hand, gently stroking Yami's cheek, thanking and cursing every god that might exist for bringing Yami into his life for such a short time. Tomorrow he would fly back to America and this would all be a dream, a perfect dream that he would always remember and would long for deep within himself.

"Seto?"

"You know," Seto began, brushing his lips against Yami's again. "You're the first person to see the real me."

Small arms tightened their grip around him and Yami left small, barely felt kisses on his shoulder and neck. "I'll always remember you, this…us."

"And left wishing that there could have been more."

Crimson met sapphire. Yami gently traced Seto's face with his fingertips, a bittersweet smile forming on his beautiful face.

"We don't have forever, but we have now."

"And nothing more." Seto whispered before their lips met once again.

_SYSY_

Yugi Mutou gripped the magazine between his teeth as he held two cups of coffee, one in each hand, and pushed open the door to Yami's apartment with his hip. He sighed as he was met with what Yami called his 'creative mess'. How mess could be creative, the younger twin would never know. Yugi shut the door behind him, with his foot this time and called Yami's name, his voice muffled by the magazine stuck in his mouth however.

"In my workroom Yugi."

Yugi entered Yami's 'workroom', he frowned as he was met with even more chaos than before. Yami was not the neatest person in existence, but how could anyone work in such a place? Old paint stains covered the wooden floor along with barely used painting canvasses, papers, paints and paint brushes were stacked up high on a desk nearby. Yami was seated behind the desk, feet lifted to rest on one of the few empty spaces on the old, wooden desk the elder twin had bought when he had first moved out into his own apartment. Crimson eyes were looking out of the window, almost sadly.

Yugi put both cups on the table, and took the magazine out of his mouth.

"Gee Yami how can you work in this place? Don't you ever clean?"

Yami looked up at his brother. "What?"

Yugi rolled his eyes, sitting down on another chair. "Nevermind. So, anything interesting happen lately?"

Yami shrugged, looking back out of the window. He knew he could not and did not want to tell Yugi what had happened a week ago. He had always shared everything with his twin, but this was something he wanted to keep to himself, to cherish and protect. It was just between him and Seto, no one else needed to know.

Seto had left sometime during the night, perhaps too embarrassed to stay, or not wanting to be burdened with goodbyes that Yami could do without anyway. But Seto had left a note, a small note with only four words that had meant more to Yami than anything else that the handsome brunette could have said or done.

I will always remember.

"Hey I know who this is."

Yami looked back at Yugi, surprised when he saw Yugi holding up a sketch of Seto he had drawn recently. Yami watched as Yugi raised his magazine for Yami to see; on the cover was none other than the same brunette who had actually made kissing enjoyable.

"I didn't know you liked to draw celebrities." Yugi's eyes were teasing and the younger twin laughed lightly.

"Celebrity…?" Yami questioned dumbly, blinking in surprise.

"He was voted the world's sexiest bachelor and he's the CEO of the world's biggest international gaming company. He was here in Japan like a week ago or something, abandoned a whole press conference or something and was missing for a whole day! Can you believe that?" Yugi continued to flip through his gossip magazine, unaware of the surprised expression on Yami's face. "I would kill to meet him. He's a real genius when it comes to gaming equipment and stuff, but they say he's really cold and detached. I wonder if that's true…"

Yami stopped listening to Yugi, instead getting up from his seat and walking towards the window. Sighing he leaned his forehead against the cool glass. It all made sense suddenly and Yami cursed himself for not recognizing Seto sooner, but he had never been a celebrity loving kind of guy. In fact, Yami didn't even know who the hottest celebrities were these days. Would it have mattered anyway if he had known? No, it wouldn't have, Yami decided. For Seto Kaiba was still Seto Kaiba in the end, no matter what anyone else thought.

Pushing himself away from the window, an amused thought crossing his mind.

"I must have been the only person in the world, who didn't know who he was." Yami murmured to himself, a bittersweet smile gracing his lips as he remembered Seto's almost grateful smiles. 1

"What was that Yami?"

"Nothing," Yami replied as he turned away from the window. "Nothing at all."

The End.

A/N: Well there it is, not something I'd normally write. The romance is sudden and rushed and that, you may or may not believe, was the whole point. Why they couldn't stay together? Well they both have different lives and neither of them can just pack up and leave it. In a perfect world maybe, but not in this one.

1 "I must have been the only person in the world, who didn't know who she was" -- that's the line out of the commercial that this fic was inspired by. I absolutely love it.


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